How to be balanced in life after an intensive start of your study.

‘’ ‘And in the meantime, we organize things in such a way that we don’t have time to feel what we feel most deeply. Or to feel that something isn’t actually right.’’

Griet op de Beeck

Balance. A theme that regularly comes up in my work as coach. I sometimes joke whether the student has a time machine: a machine that creates extra time. Of course, this would not be a (sustainable) solution, perhaps a temporary one. But what does work in balancing with and within the time available? How do you find a balance in your life? It sounds so beautiful, but it is certainly not easy. Especially not when the world around you demands a lot. A sense of balance starts with creating moments of stillness. To feel what we feel and to see what is actually not right for us, as Griet Op de Beeck puts it so beautifully. This is a continuous process. When you experience a feeling of balance, there will always be moments of imbalance and then you start exploring again. I would like to show you some tools to fill your balance toolbox.

Balance. A theme that regularly comes up in my work as coach. I sometimes joke whether the student has a time machine: a machine that creates extra time. Of course, this would not be a (sustainable) solution, perhaps a temporary one. But what does work in balancing with and within the time available? How do you find a balance in your life? It sounds so beautiful, but it is certainly not easy. Especially not when the world around you demands a lot. A sense of balance starts with creating moments of stillness. To feel what we feel and to see what is actually not right for us, as Griet Op de Beeck puts it so beautifully. This is a continuous process. When you experience a feeling of balance, there will always be moments of imbalance and then you start exploring again. I would like to show you some tools to fill your balance toolbox.

Take care of yourself

Be kind to yourself and create space for your feelings. Try to figure out what you need to take care of yourself. A metaphor from nature can be helpful: Just like humans, a plant needs different components to live and grow. Soil to stand in, light that falls on the leaves and water that causes the plant to take root. What are your sources of light, your nutrients and your water supply? What do you need to just be and grow?

What gives you energy and what drains your energy?

It can be helpful to think about which things in your life drain energy and which give energy. Thinking about unpleasant things, a busy study schedule, arguing at work, are a few examples of things that can cost energy. Energizing activities can be: sports, making music or a dinner with friends. By providing insight into what gives and drains energy, you gain more insight into your own energy balance. Subsequently you can explore how much time is spent on energizing and draining activities during a day or a week and adjust if it feels out of balance. So, for example, after a full day of study, go to a dinner with friends, instead of continuing to study for a while.

Balance head-hand-heart

According to the head-hands-heart model, there must be a healthy ratio between these three components in order to experience a sense of balance. But what exactly do these three components cover? Firstly, the head symbolizes everything that has to do with our mind and thinking. Words such as logic, understanding and reasoning are appropriate here. Examples of the main component in daily life are: attending a lecture, a meeting at work or reading a book. In today’s society, there’s a lot of focus on the head component. So there is a good chance that an imbalance can arise from too much focus on the head.

The term ‘hands’ is used to mean taking action. This involves making ideas concrete and putting plans into practice. In daily life you can think of things like cooking, playing sports and painting.

Finally, the heart symbolizes your feelings and emotions. This is about your experiences, sensations and motivations. A good conversation with a friend and giving/receiving a compliment are examples that belong to the inner life: the heart.

Thinking, doing and feeling: all three are equally important in finding your balance. It can help to think about where your energy is most or focused on during the day. So, how much time do you spend on head counts? And how much time is there for the heart? And for ‘hand’? For example, if you spent an entire day working on an essay in the library (head), you can focus more on the other components at the end of the day.

Dare to be bored

Doing nothing once in a while and/or getting bored isn’t so bad. In a state of boredom there is still a lot going on in your brain. According to Van der Stigchel (psychologist at Utrecht University), the brain then switches to daydreaming and introspection. The advantage of being in this state of mind, is that it doesn’t require any effort and therefore your ability to concentrate can recover. In addition, you also appear to be even more resourceful and creative.

Could you use some support in finding your balance?

Siggie’s coaches are ready to help you!